August 04
2010

So I saw the NYTimes article about 3D, in which I am clearly against it after having said I love it. Frustrating. Anyone at that panel would have heard more about why I think it's a delightful, immersive experience and particularly right for the little art film I'm making (though NOT for the little art film Drew made.)

And speaking of Drew, he also pointed out that I misrepresented him and Brian K Vaughan, and for that I am truly sorry. They never had an agument about who was more pathetic, comic book nerds or magic nerds. It was DUNGEONS & DRAGONS nerds vs magic nerds, and it was about who was COOLER. (And I carp about the Times' reporting.)

Finally, I realized that Drew had sent me a list of fan questions specifically for me and JJ to address at the panel. I never got a chance to share them, so I'm printing up the missive he sent. Discuss among yourselves. I'm going back to assemblage. Great things in store. Over to Drew:

Hey Guys,

I've been getting a lot questions from fans about today's panel. They asked me if you could forward them to today's moderator. I told them I would, because it's really important to respect the fans. Here you go:

1. You guys have both worked with Drew Goddard extensively. That's really cool. [ed. note. Not technically a question.]

2. Which one of you loves Drew Goddard more?

3. Have either of you noticed that before you met Drew Goddard, you were both moderately successful cult television producers, but then after you met him, your careers went into the stratosphere?

4. Remember all those episodes that Drew Goddard wrote for you? Those were amazing.

5. If Star Trek and Buffy got in a fight, who would win?

6. JJ, why has there been no Cloverfield 2? Do you not like making money?

7. Joss, why did you kill Tara? Do you hate lesbians?

8. JJ, do you hate lesbians?

9. In today's gold-rush, retro-consumer culture of pre-packaged branded entertainment, do you feel an obligation to create original material?

10. Follow up question: Captain Kirk/Thor would never wear that color of Starfleet uniform/tunic! Are you TRYING to destroy my life?

11. JJ, as a producer, could you explain to Joss how to get a movie released? Thank you.

12. Seriously, JJ, what's the deal with that island?

and finally

13. If you two had to fight in a cage for the opportunity to kiss Drew Goddard, who would win and why? Please no snarky answers. This is serious.

That's the first batch. I'll make sure and forward you anything else the fans sent me. Without them, we wouldn't be here.

Drew Goddard owes me a kiss! 'cause I stayed totally unspoiled for the last season of "Angel." Well, actually, not to put too fine a point on it, but for most of the series. But it was only the last season that mattered to our Ultimate Drew. I remain his humble minion, although orange does nothing for my skin tone.

But on the whole subject of 3D - I'm totally against it. 1) It gives me a headache. B) Everyone's jumping on the bandwagon, whether or not the movie "needs" it, and III) 3D TVs are way too expensive for most normal people to afford, so what good does it do to produce a movie in 3D when the DVDs can't be?

And...does a movie ever really need to be in 3D? Can't the story, the dialogue and the acting pull you into that world? 'cause...worked for me for seven years with "Buffy." Just sayin'.

As for #7....Joss is actually D'Hoffryn. Doesn't anyone realize that? Except he goes for the kill AND the pain, 'cause...he kills those we love to cause us pain.

I noticed that Joss deftly avoided actually answering Drew's questions. What is he trying to hide? I think this may be a purposeful slight. And after ignoring the Comic Con panel topic which I believe was supposed to be all about Drew...

I'm anticipating "Revenge of the Drew." It could get ugly. Drew knows his monsters.

You know, if you get headaches or experience nausea while watching a 3D movie it could be an indication that you should get your eyes checked. There are some vision anomalies that people manage to cope with every day (and that therefore go undetected) that might be causing the problem.

14. Do you think Drew Goddard is a handsome writer?
Otherwise, the panel with you and JJ Abrams had been YouTube'd into infinity. The NY Times could have checked what you said about 3-D.
That being said, do you still have faith in 3-D knowing Justin Beiber will soon have his own 3-D movie (mainly because Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers had 3-D conert movies too, and I guess Justin thinks he has to catch up)?
And, don't you think Hollywood should put more effort into making scripts that are 3-D, or even 23,693-D? Worked for Inception

I don't really understand being anti 3D. Don't they usually release a 2D version as well? So you don't have to see it in 3D if you don't want to? People will vote with their wallets, and an equilibrium will be reached where not every movie is automatically converted. I'm trying to decide if I want to see Toy Story 3 in 3D or not...

Was there a backlash when movies started to be made in colour? There aren't that many instances when colour is absolutely essential to the story.

That NY Times article did take me aback a bit when I saw a picture of yourself and JJ under the headline. The actual article did quote the "I love it" line, but it was quite misleading.

For once though, this is one time I have to be on JJ's side against Whedon. I don't care for 3D and have not watched a film where I felt it necessary. The only time I have ever been slightly won over by the effect was during the Pixar short for Toy Story 3, 'Day and Night,' where the world behind the 2D figures really appeared to have depth. The mix of the two forms of animation created something very special. Beyond shorts that use it for a very particular reason, I can't see any reason why a film would benefit from things coming out of the screen at me.

The thought of 3D TVs is one that makes me shudder in horror. Having to buy a pair of glasses for every single person who is going to watch the screen is a ludicrous idea that I can't see many people taking up.

But then you win me over again with the Drew questions.

(Oh, this the first Joss post since I've been a member. I'm one step closer to making my man-crush a reality.)

Edit: I've just noticed the "not attractive" tag. Joss - the gift that just keeps on giving.

Ahhhh Purple man you're back! Thank you very much for clearing up those egregious mistakes, for my soul was full of woe. /overdramatic

And Buffy would kick Star Trek's ass, but Sydney Bristow... maaaan that's tough. Actually, that would be an epic fight I would love to see. J's, can you get on that? Or you know, fanvid maker? Anybody? Bueller?

What a thrill to visit Whedonesque and find a purple post! It has been ages... and I've been eating my heart out (ewww). So now that Joss has cured my lameness (more or less) I guess I'll stop procrastinating and get something done for a change.

Hi Joss! Hearing from you here after your busy period is like drinking cold, delicious, pure water from a mountain stream after being lost in the desert for ages. Great questions from Drew - for the one continually lobbed at you, all I can say is, I'm sure you don't hate lesbians, and no one should ... or witches, which you have already addressed in a musical something er other.

Buffy would beat Star Trek ? What colour is the sky above your crack pipe, citizens of Maniacia ?? Trek has Kirk, Picard, Mrs Columbo, that guy from 'Quantum Leap' and the Borg. The the Borg !! Two exclamation marks, people, that's how serious the Borg are about universal domination. Buffy would totally be assimilated. And then Batman would kick all their asses. Truth.

Ah Purple Postage, world slides back into alignment, cheers for that Boss. And assemblages being assembled, gives me the warm fuzzies.

(really can't believe no-one asked Drew if God exists, talk about a missed opportunity and must admit i'm slightly disappointed that the moderator didn't forward my question "If you could be anyone other than Drew Goddard or Drew Goddard's doppleganger from a parallel universe then what would be the point in going on ?")

Star Trek vs. Buffy? My sister and I have discussed this in depth. First of all, it must usually be qualified that Buffy start out on the ship; if she's on the planet, and the enterprise in orbit, they could just pick people off with precision phasers. Anyways, after that, once Buffy and gang were on the ship, Willow would be very busy, as she'd have to do something to stop the phasers, make some sort of barrier. So long as Willow can neutralize the technology to the point where Buffy can whip out her hand to hand, she'd be mostly fine. She might find some challenge if Worf brought a Bat'leth along, but other than that, if Willow can keep the technological advantage at bay, Buffy's gang would probably win, and if not, the Enterprise's crew would probably win. So really its probably all up to Willow.

Princessofdarkness Yeah? Well...I'm STILL spoiler free for the last season! 'cause I didn't see it. Or the fourth, third or second season, for that matter. Sigh.

And...I hope this isn't blasphemous, but...Drew is more my god than Joss, 'cause Drew actually gave me suggestions for my writing back when he would post on the Bronze. (For instance, he recommended "more zombies.") There's a reason I'm his minion. Well, aside from his being freakishly tall and, to borrow a line from an episode of Quantum Leap, "Terminally gorgeous."

ETA: They were posts personally directed to me, not just generic "If you want to be a writer" posts.

The Do That Girl I'm right there with you with the 2 pairs of glasses.

Joss hasn't posted here since my birthday, and that was a long, long time ago, and it was bad news.

5. If Star Trek and Buffy got in a fight, who would win?

They wouldn't fight. They would kiss each other and Spock would totally be into all the women and Xander. Kirk would reprise the role of Parker, and Buffy would bonk hom on the head and take over command of the Enterprise.

My favorite question is #3:
Have either of you noticed that before you met Drew Goddard, you were both moderately successful cult television producers, but then after you met him, your careers went into the stratosphere?

viewingfigures (heh), Like a cross between Mr Goodbar and Catherine Trammel?. I like that description, but perhaps with a little Dressed to Kill vibe, only in the Smoke Monster's case it would be Naked to Kill, because, just smoke.

So if we're all puppies that would really explain some of the odd behavior I've seen around here (i.e. pissing in the middle of the thread or getting caught eating underwear, which naturally leads to running off with a look of guilt and promptly hiding under the bed). Huh.

Now that I think about his opening line, "Hi puppies!" seems pretty apropos to describe this group. We're warm, gregarious, and flop around his feet excitedly when he's here. And when he's not here, there is some puppy-like whining going on: "Err, Err (I don't know how to spell a puppy whine!)... Errrrrrrr, Errr, come back Errrr". And when he does, "DAD'S HOME! Get Dad a milkbone!"

Joss has arranged to have Buffy's ass kicked :) If Buffy and "Star Trek" got into a fight, I think there would be some strange existential rift in the space time contiuum, since Buffy is a character and "Star Trek" is a franchise. I am not sure where a franchise's ass is, but as Buffy knows more about nonhuman anatomy than I do, she could probably find it. It has often been said that the "Star Trek" franchise has legs, but does it have feet? If not, it would have trouble kicking anyone's ass. If it has teeth, it could of course potentially bite Buffy's ass.

And while I hate for inaccuracies to be perpetrated on the public, if it causes Mr. Whedon to post, perhaps the New York Times could misquote him more often :)

PUPPIES??! What about kitties? Puppies, feelthy animals, ptui, we weel not speak of zem again! Clearly the puppies remark is meant to indicate hatred of lesbians which is why he killed Tara AND Miss Kitty Fantastico & the repeal Prop. 8 ad appearance was simply a smokescreen!!!!

(The above must be attributed to the sad deterioration of my pathological condition of Whedonoia, which will be included in the DSM-V, in which every possible shade of intolerable or contradictory meaning is read into every syllable typed, spoken, implied, signalled with eyeballs, hesitated over or shrugged by Joss . . . ;) )

If I recall (and understood) the panel correctly, Joss appreciates the 3D effect for action sequences, because in action sequences space is especially important. You need to know Bruce Willis hiding under the table *right below* the bad guy with the machine gun.

But the shot would be the same--same framing, same placement of actors and objects--whether in 2D or 3D. Plus, since the movie will come out in both 2D and 3D, the filmmaker has to make sure the shot works in either format. In those senses, it makes no difference whether it's shot in 2D or 3D--the shot's the same, we just get to see it more realistically in the latter.

But if The Avengers comes out in a 3D version that Joss gets to shoot with 3D cameras, I'm seeing the 3D version, not just because he makes great artistic choices, but because the comic book genre is so fantastic that the extra dimension (pun!) of realism will make things like Iron Man flying and the Hulk hulking that much more spectacular.

If anyone can kill Captain Kirk's hell-mouth sized ego Buffy can...she did the Mayor in, didn't she? (with a little help from her friends, to be sure!) Also, Joss if you read this I want you to know you are my favorite secular-humanist ever...I wish they were all like you (and this from a long-time Christian so please know it took a lot for me to say that! :) XOXO

P.S. Buffy Season 8 rocks my face off and I can't wait for Season 9...and for a possible Buffy movie with original cast once the success of Avengers finally melts the truth into people's brains that YOU ARE THE MAN!

Ah, and as my work day ends I relax with a glass of fine(and cheap) wine, the a/c cranked and the cherry on top of my Thursday...Joss post. Much more delicious and full bodied than this icky(but fine) rice wine. Thank you Joss.

1. Buffy would have to run into a time vortex thingy so as to actually meet up with the future Star Fleet Officers. (Because she'd be only five(?) when she saw them at the San Francisco Aquarium.)

2. If Willow came with her they would take home a couple of tribbles.

3. Buffy would find Wesley totally datable.

4. If the First Slayer tagged along, Buffy could take out the Borg, no problem.

5. Buffy would never make it into Star Fleet Academy. (Well, maybe through the sewers or via a little hacking on Willow's part.)

6. She could bring home enough merchandise to turn the trio into her own personal Revello Drive Irregulars for all eternity.

7. She'd really dig working out on the Holo deck.

8. She would probably manage to bump into never-discovered-before origin planet of the True Vampires. (Do they even have Holy Water in the twenty-third century? Or usable wood for that matter?)

9. If Spock told her to "live long and prosper" she'd punch his lights out for bringing up her sore points.

10. Like Buffy, the Enterprise ever returns and so they are fated to face each other day after day, year after year--with breaks in between for splitting triple chocolate fudge cake from the replicator.

Interesting question...Is Mr. Pointy, Mr. Pointy because he was "chosen?" Or are Mr. Pointy's combined experiences essential to his being Mr. Pointy? Is the original essence of Mr. Pointy transferable? Does Mr. Pointy even have an original essence or is he just the result of a fortuitous but random happening of particles?

2. Can Buffy grow a goatee ?

Yes, but Buffy made the beauticians of Sunnydale's Curl Up and Dye swear it to secrecy under pain of staking.

3. Rock, paper, scissors ?

Rock. Because no matter what tradition says, it still makes more sense for rock to beat paper.

Buffy would kick Kirk's ass while Kirk would be too distracted trying to shag her.

And my business model comment: MGM's decision to hold back Cabin in the Woods to convert it to 3D was not only stupid, it may be a symptom of why MGM ended up in the hands of their creditors. I wonder how much the rights to it will cost as the creditors sell off bits and pieces of MGM.

(It was good to read a Jossirian post again - including carping. ; > There are so many upcoming and/or potential Joss projects it'll be interesting to watch which ones happen - and how... and I keep thinking that there's one or two I've forgotten about. It'll cooome to me...)

My question, if the First got into a fight with the Smoke Monster, who would win?

That's a trick question! The First and the Smoke Monster are one and the same! *g*
I mean, they both represent evil, both can only take on the form of people who are dead, they both use powers of persuasion/fear to get other people to do their dirty work... the biggest difference being the Smoke Monster can take physical corporeal form and The First can only appear to take form.
I think the Smoke Monster may be a little scarier as it can do physical harm itself (just not to the people on the list whom Jacob has touched.)

Hello everyone! This is my first post on Whedonesque. I discovered Whedonesque roughly 3 years ago, and have been lurking about ever since. The first thing I did when I discovered this site was to head over to the archives, specifically the discusson for the finale of AtS. As I read the comments, they brought tears to my eyes. I'd grown up watching Buffy and Angel, and had fallen in love with these characters, but had nobody to talk to about them. When I discovered Whedonesque, I felt as though I was among friends.

I'd like to thank Joss, for being as special as he is. And I'd also like to thank everybody who has contributed to making Whedonesque as special as it is.